Notes of Faith December 6, 2023

Notes of Faith December 6, 2023

The Last Christmas!

Hello Dale,

What thoughts does the title of this Praiseletter create in your mind? What if, in fact, you knew or strongly supposed that this Christmas would be the last Christmas? What would change, and how differently would you approach this coming holiday season celebrating the birth of Christ?

Initially, while contemplating writing this last letter of the year, which by the way is Praiseletter #245, dating all the way back to 1981, I thought of just titling it Merry Christmas. It occurred to me that just writing a warm Christmas greeting to all of our dear friends, reflecting on some of the memories of the past year and past Christmases, and directing our focus once again on the real meaning of Christmas might be enough.

Linda and I do want to sincerely wish for you and yours a truly Merry Christmas. We want to somehow express to you how much your friendship and partnership with our ministry means to us. We see all the letters, emails, and posts that assure us of your love, your prayers, and your support. Thank you is not an adequate expression of our gratitude, but from the bottom of our hearts (to the top)...Thank you!

The beautiful handmade cards and pictures we receive from Craig and Sheri adorn our tabletops and desks. They bring blessing and beauty to our lives! Rick and Melodie hold the record for most Dallas Holm concerts attended...over one hundred and counting. Their Christmas and birthday cards, their encouragement, and their friendship are a gift of far greater value than anything that will lay under our Christmas tree.

Ed and Pauline send us a note every month assuring us of their love and prayers. This genuine love was expressed so tangibly a few years back when, while ministering near where Ed and Pauline live, our son Jeffrey was struck for the first time with a severe panic attack while traveling with me. Not knowing what was happening, we took Jeffrey to the ER for assessment. While waiting on doctors, nurses, and test results, Ed and Pauline sat in the waiting room and prayed for us. I’m pretty good with words, but I simply have no words to express what that act of love meant to us.

I could go on and on with similar stories and accounts of love, encouragement, and support expressed by so many just like you! I wish I could. Linda and I see and know your names. We read what you write. We’re aware of your unwavering and often longtime support of our ministry. Again...thank you!

We, therefore, do wish you a very Merry Christmas. But...what if this is the last Christmas? Why would I ask such a question? We know this: one day there will be a last Christmas. Why not this one?

Is there anything that would suggest we might be coming to the “finish line”? If your eyes and ears are open, if you’ve been paying attention, especially in the last couple years, you must have noticed the increase in evil, the violence, and depravity that is on full display all around us, and the acquiescence to such sinfulness by those in governmental authority and even in church leadership. Scripture is pretty clear about what the world will look like before Jesus returns. What we’re seeing play out all around us on a daily basis seems to fit the biblical description of the end times, does it not?

On October 7th, we saw the horrific, unspeakable, and unimaginable atrocities visited upon Israeli citizens by terrorists of the worst kind. As we’ve heard the reports and witnessed the reality of babies being slaughtered on October 7th, we too remember the slaughter of babies by Herod around the time of Christ’s birth. Evil persists!

As I write this letter, the war rages on and strongly hints at expanding into a much larger, if not global, conflict. We are accelerating towards the “finish line” it seems to me. I’ve lived in Texas for many years now. I like to think that perhaps at this very moment, if we could peer into Heaven, we would see them “saddling up the horses,” getting “ready to ride,” if I can put it in Texas terms.

I believe in the Rapture, or “catching away,” of the saints...the true Church. Paul instructs the church of Thessalonica concerning this matter when he writes, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord” I Thessalonians 4:16-17.

This is not referring to the Second Coming when Christ returns to earth with the saints. I believe this “catching away” to meet Him in the air occurs before the Great Tribulation. I know there are several different views on these events. I have very dear friends, for whom I have the utmost respect and appreciation, who believe the church will go through the tribulation.

There’s so much we could discuss about this, but let me just offer that in view of the fact that the Great Tribulation is an outpouring of the wrath of God, such as the world has not seen; it seems inconsistent to view the cross as the place where God’s wrath toward sin was satisfied “once for all,” only to be revisited upon the redeemed in the time of the Great Tribulation.

I realize I will probably receive letters and emails offering differing opinions on this matter, but that is, in its simplest form, my understanding of these events.

Why do I share this at this time? Because no matter how you view the chronology of these end times events, I believe we can all agree that what we are witnessing on the world’s stage strongly suggests the end is near. I don’t know when the Lord will return, nor do you. However, we do know this; that we are far closer to His return than any people have ever been!

So...back to the original intent of this letter. What if this is the last Christmas?

Would you spend more money on bigger presents? Would you decorate your house more extravagantly? Would you get a bigger tree and have a better Christmas party?

I suspect that none of these things would matter much if this was the last Christmas. Let’s be encouraged and challenged more to consider with greater clarity and passion our being given the greatest gift ever! Let us look for ways to share that most precious gift of Jesus with others.

Last of all, let us discern by the truth of His Word and His Spirit that indwells us, the signs of the times, that are brighter and clearer than the most extravagant display of Christmas lighting!

Let’s celebrate the season and focus on its true significance as though it was The Last Christmas! It may just be.

In Christ,

Dallas Holm

What if this was the last Christmas? One year in our understanding of time this will take place. How will we respond to God as we see more clearly the signs of the times jumping from the pages of our Bible. Those that are saved by God’s grace through faith, will we become more bold in sharing truth and leading people to the throne of grace? Will we dig deep into the earth to hide from the evil that is all around us? If this happens to be the last Christmas celebration (the birth of Christ), we have little time to do the work of an evangelist, to speak truth, to bring God’s desire for people to repent of their sin, and come to Him for forgiveness, healing of their soul, and eternal salvation. There are many that you know that do not know or believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We have much work to do and the time is getting shorter!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Fatih December 5, 2023

Notes of Faith December 5, 2023

Jesus: God in the Flesh

The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. — John 1:14

It is not usually an easy transition to go from thinking God is a distant, supreme being to realizing that in Jesus, the world has seen and interacted with the Lord of all Creation. I have found that whenever I talk about the divinity of Christ, people have questions about what I mean. I recall being seated at a luncheon one day and a lady said, “For over sixty years I went to church, and I heard about Jesus. I thought I knew about Him. Until one Sunday when I turned on the In Touch program. All of a sudden, I realized I didn’t really know who He was at all.

Is Jesus really God?”

Of course, the fact that Jesus Christ is God is the foundational truth we celebrate at Christmas: the incarnation of the Lord God Almighty becoming flesh in the Person of Jesus in that stable in Bethlehem. Yet, it is understandable that people have trouble reconciling the fact that Jesus is fully divine while also being completely human. After all, the manner by which the Lord is presented to us in the Old Testament is awesome for sure — He is the eternal, everlasting, almighty, living God; the Great I Am; the Most High Sovereign of all that exists, who is absolutely holy, infinite in power, and unfailingly faithful.

We often learn about Him in the Old Testament by His Hebrew names, Elohim, Adonai, El Shaddai, and Yahweh Yireh — titles that are beautiful and powerful, but somewhat distant and mysterious to us. Yet Jesus is so kind, loving, and approachable. He is the Good Shepherd, the Great Physician, and the Lamb of God. Whenever we read about Him interacting with others, He is so relatable, down to earth, and compassionate — always sacrificially willing to teach, heal, and redeem.

The obvious question is how can Jesus and the Father both be God when we understand them as distinct? How can the powerful hands that forcefully carved the mountains and canyons be the same that gently touched the eyes of the blind man to restore his sight? Scripture reveals that the Almighty is Trinity — one God, yet three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We use the term persons because each has a unique role and expression in the Godhead. Though the three Persons of the Trinity are all fully God, they are not three deities. Rather, together they are one God, operating in perfect union and communion in one essence.

It is true Jesus was completely human, but the wonderful, supernatural mystery is that He was also wholly divine. Believing this is absolutely essential for your faith. He is both the One who set the holy standard for salvation and the One who fulfills it on our behalf. And Jesus does this because as fully God and fully man, He is the only One who can.

Hail th’ incarnate Deity!

But what we need to understand is that Jesus came to reveal the true nature of God the Father to humanity. Jesus is the radiance of His glory, the exact representation of His nature. In other words Jesus shows us what it looks like when our divine, all-powerful, incomprehensibly awesome God interacts with us on a personal level. Christ said it Himself:

He who has seen Me has seen the Father. — John 14:9

When you look at who Jesus is throughout Scripture, you are observing that the Lord is a God of mercy, loving-kindness, holiness, justice, wisdom, redemption, healing, and power in bodily form. And when you know who He truly is, you understand why He is worthy of all honor, glory, and praise.

Some people say they’re Christians but don’t acknowledge the divinity of Christ. They think He was simply a good teacher, philosopher, social reformer, or healer. I want to be crystal clear on this matter: you can believe all of these wonderful things about Jesus, but if you do not accept that Jesus Christ is God the Son and that He is the only One who can save you from your sins, then you do not actually know Him.

The Jesus who reached out to others in Scripture is the same God in Heaven who calls to you, offering love, redemption, wisdom, guidance, and healing no matter what you’ve done or what you face. Therefore, take time today to appreciate Him for who He really is.

A Moment of Reflection

Look up and write out what we learn about Jesus in the following verses:

Hebrews 1:1–3

Colossians 1:15–20

How does understanding who Jesus is impact what you are facing today? Is there anything He cannot handle?

Spend time praising God for who He is.

A Gift for Today

The kind, loving, and approachable Jesus is the all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present God — and He is always willing to help you, guide you, teach you, heal you, and redeem you.

Christ, by highest Heav’n adored, Christ, the everlasting Lord:

Late in time behold Him come, Offspring of a virgin’s womb.

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,

Hail th’ incarnate Deity!

Pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus our Immanuel.

Hark! the herald angels sing,

“Glory to the new-born King!”

~ “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” original lyrics by Charles Wesley1

1. “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” original lyrics by Charles Wesley, hymnal.net, accessed March 4, 2022, https://www.hymnal.net/en /hymn/h/84.

Excerpted from The Gift of Jesus by Charles F. Stanley, copyright Charles F. Stanley.

If Jesus is not God, you and I are rebellious sinners, haters of God and truth, having nothing to look forward to but judgment and eternal punishment to pay the debt for sin. Hallelujah that Jesus is God! Only God could pay the debt we owe. Jesus fulfilled every prophecy of the Messiah, the Son of God, Immanuel, God in human flesh, giving Himself to redeem us, provide forgiveness, and power for holy living in an unrighteous world, and the promise of eternal life with Him without the presence of sin! Amen!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 4, 2023

Notes of Faith December 4, 2023

Searching the Night for a Light

So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” — Matthew 1:22-23

On the night when Jesus was born, I wonder if Joseph ever prayed, “Father, this all seems so… bizarre. The angel you sent? Any chance you could send another? If not an angel, maybe a person? Some company would be nice. Even a shepherd would do.”

Perhaps he did. Perhaps he didn’t. But you probably have.

You’ve stood where Joseph stood. Caught between what God says and what makes sense. You’ve done what He told you to do only to wonder if it was Him speaking in the first place. You’ve stared into a sky blackened with doubt. And you’ve asked what Joseph asked.

You’ve asked if you’re still on the right road. You’ve asked if you were supposed to turn left when you turned right. And you’ve asked if there is a plan behind this scheme.

Things haven’t turned out as you thought they would.

Each of us knows what it’s like to search the night for a light. Not outside a stable, but perhaps outside an emergency room or on the manicured grass of a cemetery. We’ve asked our questions. We’ve questioned God’s plan. And we’ve wondered why God does what He does.

The Bethlehem sky was not the first to hear the pleadings of a confused pilgrim.

If you are asking what Joseph asked, let me urge you to do what Joseph did. Obey. That’s what he did. He obeyed when the angel called, when Mary explained, and when God sent.

Because Joseph obeyed, God used him to change the world.

He was obedient when the sky was bright… and when it was dark.

He didn’t let his confusion disrupt his obedience. He didn’t know everything. But he did what he knew. He shut down his business, packed up his family, and went to another country. Why? Because that’s what God said to do.

What about you? Just like Joseph, you can’t see the whole picture. Just like Joseph, your task is to see that Jesus is brought into your part of the world. And just like Joseph, you have a choice: to obey or disobey. Because Joseph obeyed, God used him to change the world.

Can He do the same with you?

God still looks for Josephs today. Men and women who believe that God is not through with this world. Common people who serve an uncommon God.

Will you be that kind of person? Will you serve… even when you don’t understand?

No, the Bethlehem sky was not the last to hear the pleadings of an honest heart. And perhaps God didn’t answer every question for Joseph. But He answered the most important one. “Are you still with me, God?” And through the first cries of the God-child the answer came.

“Yes, Joseph. I’m with you.”

Through the small face of the stable-born Baby, He says yes.

Yes, your sins are forgiven. Yes, your name is written in Heaven. Yes, death has been defeated. And yes, God has entered your world.

Immanuel. God is with us.

~ He Still Moves Stones

Excerpted from In the Manger by Max Lucado, copyright Max Lucado.

We must strive to keep “God with us” in our heart every day…because He is!

He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. He is the only promise giver that never fails. God is indeed good all the time! Remember, any time of year and through any and every circumstance that God is with you!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 3, 2023

Notes of Faith December 3, 2023

It’s hard not to be intrigued and impressed by Mary. She was just a teenager, some estimates say between 13 and 16 years old, when an angel appeared to her. I can just imagine how a teen today would have reacted if an angel of the Lord showed up in their room. My guess is that the immediate response would be fear, screams, or crying. The sheer overwhelming nature of the experience would be enough to cause that reaction.

However, when the angel appears and brings a joyful message—“Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”—the Bible says that Mary was “troubled.” The angel even encouraged her with, “Do not be afraid.”

One would expect that Mary would struggle with this revelation and abrupt change in her life’s path. After all, things seemed to be going OK. She was even engaged to a man named Joseph, but now she would be the gossip of the town. A scandal like an unwed pregnancy would not go unnoticed, and answering the critics by saying that an angel visited her would likely cause more questions than answers.

But Mary was clearly no normal teenager!

After her initial response, Mary embraces her calling as the earthly mother of Jesus. In what is called “The Song of Mary” (Luke 1:46-55), we see a young woman who considers herself blessed, who rejoices!

Of course, the story doesn’t end there, and things don’t get any easier. Mary, at the end of her pregnancy, must endure the trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem, at the end of which she delivers the Christ child in a manger.

Was she bitter? Did she shout at God, “You did this to me, and now you can’t even give me a decent place to give birth? Not even one room?”

No, as she held her child, the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, Emmanuel, she pondered all that had taken place, keeping it in her heart.

As you enter this Advent season, maybe this year hasn’t gone how you planned. Maybe you expected your life to be much different than it is. Perhaps you’re even mad at God and blame Him for your circumstances.

If so, it’s OK to be troubled, but I invite you to do as Mary did and rejoice in the midst of your pain. Lay it all at the feet of the One who came to save you, whose birth we celebrate. Despite the struggles, Mary considered herself blessed because of what God did for her, and you can, too, as you ponder how He has blessed you.

Discussion Questions: In what ways has the past year been a struggle? How have you seen God work through your situation? Are you able to worship Jesus in the midst of the challenges?

Prayer: Dear God, Thank you for the gift of Your Son, Jesus, and for the hope that He gives us. Even when our lives take difficult or unexpected turns, we can still find our joy and peace in You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture Reference: Luke 1:26-36

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.

Luke 1:46-55

46 And Mary said:

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;

For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.

49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me,

And holy is His name.

50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him

From generation to generation.

51 He has shown strength with His arm;

He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones,

And exalted the lowly.

53 He has filled the hungry with good things,

And the rich He has sent away empty.

54 He has helped His servant Israel,

In remembrance of His mercy,

55 As He spoke to our fathers,

To Abraham and to his seed forever.”

Luke 2:1-7

2 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2:19-20

19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Find peace with God this Christmas season.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 2, 2023

Notes of Faith December 2, 2023

The Supper and the Self

How Communion Reshapes Identity

Article by Kevin P. Emmert

Desiring Gid contributor

Identity — it is one of our society’s greatest obsessions today. Even we Christians can preoccupy ourselves with knowing who we are and what our purpose is. This pursuit is not altogether bad. The desire to understand who we are and what we are here for is natural and God-given. The problem arises when we look in the wrong places to discover our identity and purpose.

Many look to social media, self-help resources, life coaches, models of the psyche — you name it — for direction and affirmation. We may even naively accept mantras like “Be true to yourself” and “You do you,” thinking we can determine our own identities and express them however we want. But such paths lead only to more confusion and despair.

If we as Christians want to understand who we are, we must look to Jesus Christ. As the God-man, he is the true revelation of both God and of humanity. He alone can reveal to us who we are. And one concrete way he reveals our identities is through his appointed Supper.

People Who Remember

The Lord’s Supper, along with baptism, is one of the most debated Christian practices. Believers from various traditions disagree over what exactly happens during the meal; we also disagree over how frequently it should be celebrated. Despite such disagreements, all Christians agree on at least this: the Lord’s Supper is a meal whereby we remember who Christ is and what he has done for us (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24–25).

Many of us do not realize, however, that the Lord’s Supper is also a time when we remember who we are in Christ. In a key way, the Table strengthens our identity in him. Indeed, Christ himself forms and fortifies our identity in this meal because he is present to us and lives in us (John 14:20, 23; 17:23, 26). Just as food and drink strengthen the body, so Christ’s body and blood, received by faith, strengthen our souls in a way that helps us understand ourselves.

The Lord’s Supper shapes our identity in part because the meal is analogous to the Passover. The Passover was a ritual feast whereby the Israelites meditated on God’s saving actions and reassured themselves of who they were as God’s people. They identified themselves with the exodus generation every time they celebrated the rite.

When Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples on the night before his death, he did far more than identify with the exodus generation; he gave the meal greater significance because he was about to accomplish his mission as the true Passover Lamb. Just as the historical exodus and old covenant defined Israel’s existence, so Christ enacted a new exodus and a new covenant that now defines our existence in him — our very identity and way of life. And when Jesus commanded us to eat in remembrance of him (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24–25), he was not instructing us to simply ponder past events, just as he was not simply recalling the exodus when he celebrated the Passover with his disciples.

Many today think that to remember is to merely think about something from the past. But biblically, to remember involves bringing the past into the present and allowing the past to actively shape the present. So, when we remember Christ in the Supper, we are not thinking about someone who is absent and disconnected from us. Rather, we are, by faith, identifying with and being shaped by someone who is with us — indeed, in us.

Because remembrance is an act of identification, we identify with Christ when we partake of the Holy Meal. Like the Passover, therefore, the Supper shapes our identity. When we eat the bread and drink the cup, we taste who we are: people loved and redeemed by the Lord of all life. We belong to him, and we are made to be like him. And when we feast on Christ by faith, he transforms us more and more into his own image.

People Who Commune

Because we belong to the Lord Jesus and are made to be like him, we cannot find our true identity by looking inside ourselves. The Lord’s Supper subverts the notion that identity is an individualistic enterprise because in this meal we participate with Christ. “The cup of blessing that we bless,” Paul writes, “is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16). Thus, many Christians rightly call this meal Communion. By it, we fellowship with Christ and remember that we are people who live in vital connection with Christ — like branches joined to the vine or a body to the head (John 15:1–6; Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18).

And as people united to Christ, we are also united to other Christians. Paul explains, “The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16). We participate in Christ as well as in the life of the church, who is vitally connected to Christ the head. Paul continues, “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Corinthians 10:17). By sharing this meal, we declare to both ourselves and one another that we are communing persons: we belong to Christ and each other.

We are not isolated selves. We do not have the inner resources to become whoever we want to be. Nor do we have leeway to live however we want. We are joined to the Lord Almighty, who alone has a rightful claim on all creation. And we belong to the body of Christ, the community of faith that shapes us and shows us how to live.

People Who Proclaim

Because we are people joined to Christ and his body, the church, our purpose in life is not to self-actualize and self-gratify. We have been chosen and redeemed so that we may joyfully serve and glorify God.

When we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we proclaim Christ’s death until he returns (1 Corinthians 11:26). Yet such proclamation is not limited to our sharing in this meal of thanksgiving — thus the name Eucharist (from the Greek word for thanksgiving). As persons who participate in Christ, we are called to proclaim him with our entire lives. As we eat the bread and drink the cup, God reminds us that we are called to be eucharistic persons, persons who gratefully proclaim the goodness of Christ crucified with all we are in all we do.

Our purpose in life, therefore, is not to express ourselves but to express Christ. Our focus ought to be on him and not ourselves because he is our life (Colossians 3:4), and the life we now live we live by faith in him (Galatians 2:20).

When we receive the Lord’s Supper, we remember that our lives are not our own. We do not exist for ourselves, and we do not live for ourselves. We live for and with Christ, who “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

When we receive the Supper, we remember that we have died with Christ in baptism and that he bids us take up our crosses in daily death to self, just as he humbled himself throughout his earthly life and ultimately gave himself on the cross on our behalf. We are united with the truly self-sacrificial one so that we too may live self-sacrificially — for the good of others and to the glory of God. When we continually die to ourselves, in this meal and in our daily lives, we become more like him, the true human. When we conform to him, we become more authentically human. This is where the Supper leads us.

The seemingly mundane elements of the Lord’s Supper force us to reimagine who we are. They reveal that we are a people who belong to Christ, a people identified with Christ, a people shaped by Christ, and a people becoming like Christ. We are redeemed by him, and we exist for him. He is our life, and he determines our identity. When we look to Christ in this most holy of meals, we see more clearly who Christ is and who we are in him. And as we commune with him, we become more like him. The Table truly reshapes and fortifies our identity.

We practice a three-fold communion that imitates the last Passover meal/first Lord’s Supper. In it, we celebrate the ministries of Christ, past, present, and future.

We share a meal together looking to the future ministry of Christ, making us complete and bringing us to Himself to live eternally with Him. We look at the marriage supper of the Lamb with His redeemed church and see the glory and blessing coming when all believers and followers will share in the glory of God together, forever.

We wash one another’s feet in remembrance of our Lord’s present ministry. We celebrate His continuing work of sanctification in our lives. We are clean, Jesus said. But we still sin. We still get our feet dirty in our earthly walk. We confess. We pray to live a more holy life, to more closely follow and imitate our Lord each day. He also teaches us in washing His disciple’s feet to be servant leaders. We have been saved to serve both God and mankind.

We participate in eating the bread and drinking the cup remembering the past ministry of Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection. We identify with His death, paying our debt of sin, remembering our true communion, He in us, and we in Him. We strive to put sin to death and live for Christ.

We celebrate what Christ has done, is doing, and has promised to do, when we come together for communion with God. It is a time of greatest closeness, reverence, adoration, worship, of giving praise and thankfulness to God.

This kind of celebration should be taking place in our hearts every day even though we do not go through the process of a meal, a foot-washing, or partaking of the bread and cup. The ministries of Jesus should be a remembrance that is a growing fire of faith, hope and love that makes us more like Him. Let’s celebrate Jesus every day!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 1, 2023

Notes of Faith December 1, 2023

God Guides the Wise

Holiday time is highway time.

Ever since the magi packed their bags for Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus has caused people to hit the road. Our Christmas trips have a lot in common with the one of the wise men. We don’t camp with camels, but we have been known to bump into a knobby-kneed in-law on the way to the bathroom. We don’t keep an eye out for star lights, but flashing lights of the highway patrol? We watch for them at every curve. And we don’t ride in a spice-road caravan, but six hours in a minivan with four kids might have made the wise men thankful for animals.

It’s not always ho ho ho on the high, high highway. Extended time in the car reveals human frailties.

Dads refuse to stop. They hearken back to the examples of their forefathers. Did the pioneers spend the night at a Holiday Inn? Did Lewis and Clark ask for directions? Did Joseph allow Mary to stroll through a souvenir shop on the road to Bethlehem? By no means. Men drive as if they have a biblical mandate to travel far and fast, stopping only for gasoline.

And children? Road trips do to kids what a full moon does to the wolf man. If one child says, “I like that song,” you might expect the other to say, “That’s nice.” Won’t happen. Instead the other child will reply, “It stinks and so do your feet.”

There is also the issue of JBA — juvenile bladder activity. A child can go weeks without going to the bathroom at home. But once on the road, the kid starts leaking like secrets in Washington. On one drive to Colorado, my daughters visited every toilet in New Mexico.

The best advice for traveling with young children is to be thankful they aren’t teenagers. Teens are embarrassed by what their parents say, think, wear, eat, and sing. So for their sakes (and if you ever want to see your future grandchildren), don’t smile at the waitstaff, don’t breathe, and don’t sing with the window down or up.

It’s wiser to postpone traveling with children until they are a more reasonable age — like forty-two.

Christmas and travel. The first has a way of prompting the second and has done so ever since the delegation from the distant land came searching for Jesus. Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking,

Where is the newborn king of the Jews? — Matthew 2:1-2 NLT

Matthew loved the magi. He gave their story more square inches of text than he gave the narrative of the birth of Jesus. He never mentions the shepherds or the manger, but he didn’t want us to miss the star and the seekers. It’s easy to see why. Their story is our story. We’re all travelers, all sojourners.

In order to find Jesus, every one of us needs direction. God gives it. The story of the wise men shows us how.

We have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.

— Matthew 2:2 NKJV

God uses the natural world to get our attention. Earth and stars form the first missionary society.

The heavens declare the glory of God. — Psalm 19:1 NKJV

In order to find Jesus, every one of us needs direction. God gives it.

As Paul wrote,

The basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. — Romans 1:19-20 MSG

God led the wise men to Jerusalem with a star. But to lead them to Jesus, He used something else:

King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’ — Matthew 2:3-6 NLT

The star sign was enough to lead the magi to Jerusalem. But it took Scripture to lead them to Jesus.

People see signs of God every day. Sunsets that steal the breath. Newborns that bring tears. Migrating geese that stir a smile. But do all who see the signs draw near to God? No. Many are content simply to see the signs. They do not realize that the riches of God are intended to turn us toward Him.

Perhaps you do not understand that God is kind to you so you will change your hearts and lives. — Romans 2:4 NCV

The wise men, however, understood the purpose of the sign.

They followed it to Jerusalem, where they heard about the scripture. The prophecy told them where to find Christ. It is interesting to note that the star reappeared after they learned about the prophecy. The star “came and stood shining right over the place where the Child was” (Matthew 2:9, emphasis mine).1 It is as if the sign and word worked together to bring the wise men to Jesus.

The ultimate aim of all God’s messages, both miraculous and written, is to shed the light of Heaven on Jesus.

They came to the house where the Child was and saw Him with His mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. They opened their gifts and gave Him treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. — Matthew 2:11 NCV

Behold the first Christian worshippers. The simple dwelling became a cathedral. Seekers of Christ found Him and knelt in His presence. They gave Him gifts: gold for a king, frankincense for a priest, and myrrh for his burial.

They found the Christ because they heeded the sign and believed the scripture.

Noticeably absent at the manger were the scholars of the Torah. They reported to Herod that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Did they not read the prophecy? Yes, but they did not respond to it. You’d think at a minimum they would have accompanied the magi to Bethlehem. The village was near enough. The risk was small enough. At worst they would be out the effort. At best they would see the fulfillment of prophecy. But the priests showed no interest. The wise men earned their moniker because they did.

Their hearts were open to God’s gift. The men were never the same again. After worshiping the Christ child, “they departed for their own country another way” (Matthew 2:12 NKJV). Matthew uses the word way in other places to suggest a direction of life. He speaks of the narrow way (Matthew 7:13-14 NASB) and “the way of righteousness” (Matthew21:32). He may be telling us that the wise men went home as different men. Called by a sign. Instructed by Scripture. And directed home by God.

It’s as if all the forces of heaven cooperated to guide the wise men.

God uses every possible means to communicate with you. The wonders of nature call to you. The promises and prophecies of Scripture speak to you. God Himself reaches out to you. He wants to help you find your way home.

Many years ago I watched the television adaptation of the drama The Miracle Worker, the compelling story of two females with great resolve: Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan.

Helen was born in 1880. She wasn’t yet two when she contracted an illness that left her blind, deaf, and mute. When Helen was seven years old, Annie, a young, partially blind teacher, came to the Kellers’ Alabama home to serve as Helen’s teacher.

Helen’s brother James tried to convince Annie to quit. The teacher wouldn’t consider it. She was resolved to help Helen function in a world of sight and sound. Helen was as stubborn as her teacher. Locked in a frightening, lonely world, she misinterpreted Annie’s attempts. The result was a battle of wills. Over and over Annie pressed sign language into Helen’s palm. Helen pulled back. Annie persisted. Helen resisted.

Finally, in a moment of high drama, a breakthrough. During a fevered exchange near the water pump, Annie placed one of Helen’s hands under the spout of flowing water. Into the other hand she spelled out w-a-t-e-r. Over and over, w-a-t-e-r. Helen pulled back. Annie kept signing. W-a-t-e-r.

All of a sudden Helen stopped. She placed her hand on her teacher’s and repeated the letters w-a-t-e-r. Annie beamed. She lifted Helen’s hand onto her own cheek and nodded vigorously. “Yes, yes, yes! W-a-t-e-r.” Helen spelled it again: w-a-t-e-r. Helen pulled Annie around the yard, spelling out the words. G-r-o-u-n-d. P-o-r-c-h. P-u-m-p. It was a victory parade.2

Christmas celebrates a similar moment for us — God breaking through to our world. In a feeding stall of all places. He will not leave us in the dark. He is the pursuer, the teacher. He won’t sit back while we miss out. So He entered our world. He sends signals and messages: H-o-p-e. L-i-f-e. He cracks the shell of our world and invites us to peek into His. And every so often a seeking soul looks up.

May you be one of them.

When God sends signs, be faithful. Let them lead you to Scripture.

As Scripture directs, be humble. Let it lead you to worship.

And as you worship the Son, be grateful. He will lead you home. Who knows? Perhaps before Jesus comes again, we’ll discover why men don’t ask for directions. Then we can pursue the other great question of life: Why do women apply makeup while they are driving? But that’s a question for ones wiser than I.

God will not leave us in the dark. He is the pursuer, the teacher. He won’t sit back while we miss out. So He entered our world.

Excerpted from Because of Bethlehem by Max Lucado, copyright Max Lucado.

Be aware of the signs that God is sending your way. Let them lead you to truth, the Word of God, Scripture, the Bible. As you read and listen to God through the Bible, let truth lead you to worship Him. Give Him the gift of yourself to love Him and serve Him because He is your Lord and King!

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 30, 2023

Notes of Faith November 30, 2023

Breath as Prayer: Christmas!

They say it's “the most wonderful time of the year,” but it sure can sometimes feel more like the most stressful time of the year. For all its wonder and joy, the holiday season can be the most anxiety-ridden season of the year. Unrealistic expectations, overwhelming demands, overflowing calendars, and increased social obligations can lead to all kinds of increased stress and anxiety.

If you struggle with anxiety through the holidays, you’re not alone.

The pressure to try to do everything, to plan the “perfect” Christmas and implement all the traditions, not to mention traveling to visit family, meeting year-end deadlines at work, the financial burdens of shopping for everyone on your list, along with all the cooking and cleaning and wrapping and decorating…. whew! Just typing out that list is raising my anxiety already!

But what would happen if we let go of all the to-do's and the lists and the expectations this Christmas?

What if we chose to enter this season with only one goal: to rest in the presence of God and let His peace fill our hearts?

After all, this is the season of Advent. It’s a time of anticipation, a season of expectant waiting for the coming of our Savior. Advent invites us to slow down and believe that there's more to Christmas than the loud noise of the holidays, more than the hustle and bustle of the crowds, more than the pressure to produce and perform and perfect.

Advent is a season of hope, peace, love, and joy.

The truth is, there's nothing you have to buy, nothing you have to do to make this a good Christmas. Christmas is already good because our good God has already given us the greatest gift the world has ever known: Jesus.

So how can we intentionally seek peace this Christmas? How can we ease the anxiety and the stress and the pressure that so often fills these days and instead learn to simply rest and wait in Christ, and breathe in His love and goodness through the season?

Plan ahead for peace. Pull out a calendar and be proactive. List all the things you know you will have to do: events to attend, shopping, baking, travel, etc. Identify what brings you joy and what brings you stress. If possible, eliminate things that bring you unnecessary anxiety. At the same time, be intentional about planning things you know will bring you peace and joy. Be sure to leave plenty of white space in your days. Plan for rest, for time outside, for prayer and quiet time with God.

Set good boundaries with realistic expectations. Know your limitations. You don’t have to do all the things. Let yourself off the hook and learn to say no. If you can’t say no, plan time around the stressful things for some self-compassion and down time. Simplify. Don’t spend money you don’t have. You can’t buy peace with a carload of gifts and a wallet full of debt. Slow down the pace. Take a deep breath. This season is not an emergency. There is no race to Christmas day.

Give yourself grace. Anxiety and depression can be especially hard at the holidays. Be gentle with yourself. It’s ok if you’re not feeling in the “holiday spirit.” There can be pressure at the holidays to be happy and social, but it’s really ok if you’re not. You may be walking through deep hurt or loss this season. Be kind to yourself and gentle with the feelings you are processing. Remember: Jesus entered this world in the middle of the mess and muck of a lowly stable to meet you right where you are, in the middle of whatever hard things you’re going through. He came to be your Savior, and He invites you to give Him your burdens and let Him give you rest.

Take time to breathe and pray. Want a practical and powerful tool to help ease your anxiety while drawing your heart closer to Christ? I invite you to try the centuries-old Christian practice called breath prayer: a simple but deeply meaningful spiritual practice that combines deep breathing with prayers of meditation on God’s Word.

What if we chose to enter this season with only one goal: to rest in the presence of God and let His peace fill our hearts?

Made of just two lines from a verse of Scripture, breath prayers are prayed to the rhythm of your breath. You inhale slowly and deeply as you pray the first line of the prayer, then exhale slowly and fully as you pray the second line, repeating the prayer as many times as you’d like.

The slow, deep breathing is scientifically shown to help calm the physical symptoms of anxiety, while prayer turns your mind toward Christ and the truth in His Word.

I’ve personally found breath prayer to be an amazing tool to not only help manage my anxiety but also to strengthen my faith. It has helped me change the way I respond to feelings of anxiety. Instead of spiraling into overwhelm and panic, when I begin to feel anxious, I simply slow down for a few minutes and take time to breathe and pray a short breath prayer. As I do this, I can feel my anxiety begin to ease and my soul finds renewed strength as I focus on a truth that is greater than the overwhelming feelings of my anxiety.

You can give it a try with this simple prayer from 1 Peter 5:7:

Inhale: I give You my worries and cares,

Exhale: for You care about me.

Repeat this prayer a few times, breathing slowly to the rhythm of God’s Word.

Anxiety doesn’t have to be your enemy this Christmas.

There may be hard and stressful days, but you don’t have to spiral out of control when anxiety builds. You can change the way you respond to your anxiety and use it as an opportunity to slow down and turn your heart toward Christ. When you do this regularly, you may just find that you are able to experience a deep and abiding peace as your soul draws closer to the One who split the veil between heaven and earth to be wrapped in infant skin so He could be near you and rescue you and give you real hope and true peace.

So, when you begin to feel overwhelmed or stressed this Christmas, simply slow down, breathe deep, and try praying a breath prayer. Better yet, try beginning every day with a few quiet minutes of breath prayer. Before the stress piles on, invite Christ to meet you right where you are as you turn your mind toward the truth in His Word and give your worries to Him.

He is Immanuel.

God is WITH us.

You can breathe deep this Christmas season and know:

You are safe and held and loved.

You don’t have to worry. You don’t have to stress.

Jesus is here.

Written for Devotionals Daily by Jennifer Tucker, author of Breath as Prayer.

It seems that every day, not just a season or time of year brings it busyness. There is always a list of things to complete, to work on, with many carrying over to another day. Life is busy. But if it is worrisome, it is leaving out the peace of God, who is sovereignly in control of all things! Let us be prepared for each day in the confidence that God is with us, loves us, cares for us, provides for us, and will give opportunity in each day for purpose, spiritual growth and service for Him and those He places around us. Start each day with anticipation of what God will place before you to love and serve others.

Matt 6:34

34 "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 29, 2023

Notes of Faith November 29, 2023

God has spoken and He does not stutter.

Everything we are facing — economic crises, political crises, financial crises, familial crises — goes much deeper than what’s on the surface. Everything visible and physical is preceded by that which is invisible and spiritual. If you want to address the visible and physical, you must identify the cause and cure to that which is invisible and spiritual. To put it another way, if all you see is what you see, then you do not see all that there is to be seen.

I believe this disruption we are experiencing has been allowed in order to precipitate a spiritual realignment and center us back toward God.

Second Chronicles 15:5-6 says,

In those times there was no peace for those who went about their daily activities because the residents of the lands had many conflicts. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every possible distress.

In these verses the Bible describes a world in chaos and individuals without peace. When the people of Judah and Benjamin went home, there was family conflict. City rose up against city and nation against nation. There was no peace in the land.

At the end of verse 6 it says,

For God troubled them with every possible distress.

Wait a minute. Who is behind this chaos and lack of peace? The Lord took the blame.

In the Old Testament, when God’s people departed from Him, judgment followed soon behind. With the sacrifice of Jesus, God recast His relationship to the world. Second Corinthians 5:19 says that the world was reconciled to God through the death of Jesus Christ.

No longer does the Lord God rain down fire and brimstone or send floods, like in Noah’s day, but we can experience the passive wrath of God that is described in Romans 1:24, Romans 1:26, Romans 1:28. The Scripture says that God turned them over to impurity. Then, again, later in the chapter, God turned them over to disgraceful passions. A third time, God turned them over to a corrupt mind.

Because the people of God no longer took Him seriously, choosing to dishonor Him and drift away, He let them experience the consequences of their behavior and see what life looked like without His provision.

Romans 1:21-24 describes what happens when an individual, family, church, or nation depart from God:

For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals, and reptiles. Therefore, God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts. — NIV

Yes, we know God exists everywhere, but I am talking about the relational absenteeism of God. It is as if God has said, If you don’t want Me, you’re going to have to see what life is like without Me. So I believe God is interrupting the normal, natural, and preferred order of things on every single level. God is sending a worldwide message.

Returning to the Old Testament story, 2 Chronicles 15:3 speaks to the causes of the chaos and crisis at that time:

For many years Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without instruction.

He didn’t say there was no belief in God; he said their belief was not in “the true God.” The Israelites had replaced “the true God” with idols.

His Word is perfection, ever relevant, speaking to all issues, for all of life.

Many of our churches have failed as they have bowed to culture and dumbed down His deity by ignoring His Word. We are no longer teaching unapologetic truth. We are teaching what we think or what feels good to the people. We teach what is popular and preferred.

There are two answers to every question: God’s answer and everybody else’s. And everybody else is wrong. God has spoken and He does not stutter.

His Word is perfection, ever relevant, speaking to all issues, for all of life.

God defines marriage. God defines gender. God defines identity. God defines what it means to be parents and how children should respond. God defines religion and how the church operates. He creates and defines governments and how they should be run. He has spoken on how the citizens of a nation are supposed to act. God defines sexuality. We don’t. When we start to redefine seminal issues like these, chaos will ensue.

In creating our own rules and parameters, we insult God.

When there are no teaching priests in the land and the pulpits allow society to vote on what God has said, we do not conform to God’s standard. We only make people comfortable with their own standards.

God speaks to the issues of righteousness and justice and how to handle the poor, pursue equity, and stabilize economic structures and personal finances. The mission of a teaching priest is to declare God’s truth with love and clarity on every issue in society.

God’s Word must become the current standard by which all issues are addressed, by which all people must conform, and by which all systems must be adjusted. No matter how high or how low, regardless of political, social, or economic position, the teaching priest must never kowtow to the culture. The leader must speak with spiritual authority and Holy Ghost power.

The best way for the servants of God to love and care for the people is to speak God’s truth. The pulpit must preach in a way that overrides the opinions of society or what your parents may have taught you. God’s Word must override what professors or politicians have to say. It overrules what the media is trying to promote. We have no more time for clever sermonettes or cute Christian phrases. This is a season for preaching the full counsel of God’s Word with grace but without apology.

The desire of God is relationship with His people. Make knowing Him your goal. God will bless us, our families, and our culture as we learn that the God who causes distress also alleviates the distress when we return to His side.

~ Dr. Anthony Evans

Excerpted from Divine Disruption by Tony Evans, Chrystal Evans Hurst, Priscilla Shirer, Anthony Evans, and Jonathan Evans, copyright Tony Evans, Chrystal Evans Hurst, Priscilla Shirer, Anthony Evans, and Jonathan Evans.

Those who do not believe in God do believe in a god…it is themselves (mankind). Believing that there is a God and not having a relationship with Him will not give you a home in heaven, an eternal life, a salvation from condemnation and judgment. God reveals Himself to the world through His creation, His Word, His Son Jesus the Christ, His Spirit, drawing man to Himself for relationship! In the beginning, God walked in the cool of the day with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, real place, real people, real relationship. Respond to the call of God in your life. Seek deep and intimate relationship with the God of life, your life, all life, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 29, 2023

Notes of Faith November 29, 2023

God has spoken and He does not stutter.

Everything we are facing — economic crises, political crises, financial crises, familial crises — goes much deeper than what’s on the surface. Everything visible and physical is preceded by that which is invisible and spiritual. If you want to address the visible and physical, you must identify the cause and cure to that which is invisible and spiritual. To put it another way, if all you see is what you see, then you do not see all that there is to be seen.

I believe this disruption we are experiencing has been allowed in order to precipitate a spiritual realignment and center us back toward God.

Second Chronicles 15:5-6 says,

In those times there was no peace for those who went about their daily activities because the residents of the lands had many conflicts. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every possible distress.

In these verses the Bible describes a world in chaos and individuals without peace. When the people of Judah and Benjamin went home, there was family conflict. City rose up against city and nation against nation. There was no peace in the land.

At the end of verse 6 it says,

For God troubled them with every possible distress.

Wait a minute. Who is behind this chaos and lack of peace? The Lord took the blame.

In the Old Testament, when God’s people departed from Him, judgment followed soon behind. With the sacrifice of Jesus, God recast His relationship to the world. Second Corinthians 5:19 says that the world was reconciled to God through the death of Jesus Christ.

No longer does the Lord God rain down fire and brimstone or send floods, like in Noah’s day, but we can experience the passive wrath of God that is described in Romans 1:24, Romans 1:26, Romans 1:28. The Scripture says that God turned them over to impurity. Then, again, later in the chapter, God turned them over to disgraceful passions. A third time, God turned them over to a corrupt mind.

Because the people of God no longer took Him seriously, choosing to dishonor Him and drift away, He let them experience the consequences of their behavior and see what life looked like without His provision.

Romans 1:21-24 describes what happens when an individual, family, church, or nation depart from God:

For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals, and reptiles. Therefore, God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts. — NIV

Yes, we know God exists everywhere, but I am talking about the relational absenteeism of God. It is as if God has said, If you don’t want Me, you’re going to have to see what life is like without Me. So I believe God is interrupting the normal, natural, and preferred order of things on every single level. God is sending a worldwide message.

Returning to the Old Testament story, 2 Chronicles 15:3 speaks to the causes of the chaos and crisis at that time:

For many years Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without instruction.

He didn’t say there was no belief in God; he said their belief was not in “the true God.” The Israelites had replaced “the true God” with idols.

His Word is perfection, ever relevant, speaking to all issues, for all of life.

Many of our churches have failed as they have bowed to culture and dumbed down His deity by ignoring His Word. We are no longer teaching unapologetic truth. We are teaching what we think or what feels good to the people. We teach what is popular and preferred.

There are two answers to every question: God’s answer and everybody else’s. And everybody else is wrong. God has spoken and He does not stutter.

His Word is perfection, ever relevant, speaking to all issues, for all of life.

God defines marriage. God defines gender. God defines identity. God defines what it means to be parents and how children should respond. God defines religion and how the church operates. He creates and defines governments and how they should be run. He has spoken on how the citizens of a nation are supposed to act. God defines sexuality. We don’t. When we start to redefine seminal issues like these, chaos will ensue.

In creating our own rules and parameters, we insult God.

When there are no teaching priests in the land and the pulpits allow society to vote on what God has said, we do not conform to God’s standard. We only make people comfortable with their own standards.

God speaks to the issues of righteousness and justice and how to handle the poor, pursue equity, and stabilize economic structures and personal finances. The mission of a teaching priest is to declare God’s truth with love and clarity on every issue in society.

God’s Word must become the current standard by which all issues are addressed, by which all people must conform, and by which all systems must be adjusted. No matter how high or how low, regardless of political, social, or economic position, the teaching priest must never kowtow to the culture. The leader must speak with spiritual authority and Holy Ghost power.

The best way for the servants of God to love and care for the people is to speak God’s truth. The pulpit must preach in a way that overrides the opinions of society or what your parents may have taught you. God’s Word must override what professors or politicians have to say. It overrules what the media is trying to promote. We have no more time for clever sermonettes or cute Christian phrases. This is a season for preaching the full counsel of God’s Word with grace but without apology.

The desire of God is relationship with His people. Make knowing Him your goal. God will bless us, our families, and our culture as we learn that the God who causes distress also alleviates the distress when we return to His side.

~ Dr. Anthony Evans

Excerpted from Divine Disruption by Tony Evans, Chrystal Evans Hurst, Priscilla Shirer, Anthony Evans, and Jonathan Evans, copyright Tony Evans, Chrystal Evans Hurst, Priscilla Shirer, Anthony Evans, and Jonathan Evans.

Those who do not believe in God do believe in a god…it is themselves (mankind). Believing that there is a God and not having a relationship with Him will not give you a home in heaven, an eternal life, a salvation from condemnation and judgment. God reveals Himself to the world through His creation, His Word, His Son Jesus the Christ, His Spirit, drawing man to Himself for relationship! In the beginning, God walked in the cool of the day with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, real place, real people, real relationship. Respond to the call of God in your life. Seek deep and intimate relationship with the God of life, your life, all life, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 28, 2023

Notes of Faith November 28, 2023

God Is Good All the Time

Death and suffering comes to all of us. Tim Challies shares his very personal journey of trauma and heartache after the loss of his son and finding comfort in Jesus.

I’ve heard of an old man, a stalwart of the Christian faith, who slipped from earth to heaven with the words of a child’s song upon his lips: “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back.”

I’ve heard the account of a renowned theologian who summarized his entire life’s work in a melody he learned upon his mother’s knee: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”1 Sometimes the simplest words are the most important. Though we hike beyond theological foothills to explore the towering mountains of God’s thoughts and deeds, we never forget the beauty, never stop needing the blessing, of the simplest truths.

I once attended a church where it was the custom of the pastor to pause in his liturgies or sermons to say, “God is good,” to which the congregation would reply, “All the time.” Then he would say, “All the time,” and the congregation would answer, “God is good.” It was a recital of the simplest of truths — that goodness is not an occasional attribute of God, not an infrequent disposition, but a constant one. It was meant to remind us that God’s goodness does not vary with our circumstances but is fully present and on display in our worst moments as well as our best, in our most lamentable experiences as well as our most joyful. And though the pastor’s little phrase may have become trite over time, though I may have grumbled about it in the past, today, right now, nothing is more precious to me, nothing is more important to me, than this:

God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.

This is not the only truth that is propping me up.

I’ve heard people in grief speak of God’s sovereignty, perhaps repeating a well-known phrase that compares it to a pillow upon which the child of God rests his head, giving perfect peace.2 Sovereignty speaks to power and the right to reign. It is the attribute of kings or potentates or others in positions of supremacy. Ultimately, it is an attribute of God himself, who rules Heaven and earth to such a degree that nothing happens or can happen apart from his will. Nothing is given to us that does not pass first through God’s own hand.3 God’s sovereignty is a sweeping doctrine that touches every aspect of life across every moment of creation and every corner of the universe. There is no moment, no spot, no deed, no death, that falls outside of it.

God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.

God’s sovereignty is offering me comfort in these dark days. It assures me that there was no earthly power, no demonic power, no fate or force above or below, that had its way with my boy, that interrupted or superseded God’s plan for him. There was no mo- ment in which God turned his back or got distracted with other affairs or nodded off to sleep. There was no medical deformity or genetic abnormality that had been overlooked by God. God’s sovereignty assures me that it was ultimately no one’s will but God’s that Nick lived just twenty short years, that he died with so much left undone, that he has departed and we have been left here without him. When Job was told of the death of his children, he did not say, “The Lord gave, and the devil has taken away,” but

The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away.

And with that certainty he blessed the name of that Lord.4

But while God’s sovereignty offers comfort, it offers comfort only if I know something more, something of his character. After all, God might be sovereign and capricious. He might be sovereign and selfish. He might be sovereign and arbitrary. He might be sovereign and evil. So for this reason I ask, “What else is true of God?”

If I am laying my head on any pillow in these days, it is the pillow of God’s goodness. I keep saying it: “God is good all the time.” I may be saying it with sorrow and bewilderment and something less than full faith. I may be saying it as a question: “God is good all the time, right?” But I am saying it. I don’t necessarily understand how God is good in this, or why taking my son is consistent with His goodness, but I know it must be. If Nick’s death was not a lapse in God’s sovereignty, it was also not a lapse in His goodness. If there was no moment in which God stopped being sovereign, there is no moment in which He stopped being good — good toward me, good toward my family, good toward Nick, good according to His perfect wisdom.

God can’t not be good!

God’s goodness means that everything God is and everything God does is worthy of approval, for He Himself is the very standard of goodness. Those things that are good are those things that God deems good, that God deems fitting, that God deems appropriate. For something to be good is for it to meet the approval of God, and for something to meet the approval of God is for it to be good.5 If that’s the case, then who am I to declare evil what God has declared good?

Who am I to condemn what God has approved? It falls to me to align my own understanding of goodness with God’s, to rely on God’s understanding of good to inform my own. Ultimately, it’s to agree that if God did it, it must be good, and if it is good, it must be worthy of approval. To say, “Thy will be done,” is to say, “Thy goodness be shown.” It’s to seek out evidence of God’s goodness even in the hardest of His providences. It’s to worship Him, even with a broken heart.

1. The first anecdote I heard long ago but cannot now place; the second is widely attributed to Karl Barth.

2. This is widely attributed to Charles Spurgeon, but I’ve had trouble tracing it to its original source.

3. See “Lord's Day 10” (Q&A 27), Heidelberg-Catechism.com, Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary, accessed April 19, 2022, www.heidel berg-catechism.com/en/lords-days/10.html.

4. Job 1:21.

5. See Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical

Excerpted from Seasons of Sorrow by Tim Challies, copyright Tim Challies

We have had a home-going in our church family today (Tuesday, November 28, 2023). Shirley Gooding passed away very near the time that Robin and I arrived back in California from our Thanksgiving visit to Kentucky. Please be in prayer for Forrest, the family, our church family, to be attentive to the needs of all during this time of grief, (great joy for Shirley) and things that must be done. Those of you who have a loved one who has died know the pain and loss and ongoing grieving that Forrest will have. Ask God to make you a blessing to Him as He continues to worship and trust God with us at Community Grace.

Pastor Dale